PGA Tour and Honda Classic officials spoke this week about beefing up security around the par-3 17th hole and reinforcing their plan to attempt to prevent the chaos we saw last weekend on the 16th hole at the WM Phoenix Open.
Fans became unhinged on Saturday and Sunday after Sam Ryder and Carlos Ortiz, respectively, each had a hole-in-one. The hole – notorious for its party atmosphere – had not seen an ace since Francesco Molinari’s in 2015.
Both days, fans reacted by tossing beer cans and cups onto the course, many of those landing on the green. With the hole completely enclosed by stadium seating that holds about 17,000 fans, the course, especially the green, was covered, causing not only a safety issue but forcing at least a 15-minute delay for volunteers to clean the course.
